Woman faces prison in LA celebrity burglary ring (AP)

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, AP Entertainment Writer Anthony Mccartney, Ap Entertainment Writer – 16 mins ago

LOS ANGELES – A woman accused of being one of the ringleaders of a group of young adults who broke into celebrities' homes faces up to four years in prison after pleading no contest Friday to burglarizing the home of reality starlet Audrina Patridge.

Rachel Lee, 21, made the plea as part of an agreement with prosecutors, who will drop charges of accepting stolen property and engaging in a conspiracy, district attorney's spokeswoman Jane Robison said.

Authorities have said Lee helped orchestrate break-ins at the homes of stars such as Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton. Lee was initially charged with a burglary at Lohan's home, but a judge dropped that count last year.

Lee's attorney, Peter Korn, did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment.

Lee is the second member of the so-called "Bling Ring" to enter pleas in the string of burglaries. Alexis Neiers, whose case was featured on an E! Entertainment Television series about her, last year pleaded no contest to burglarizing Orlando Bloom's home.

Prosecutors estimate the group stole more than $3 million in jewelry, designer clothes and accessories from the stars' homes, much of which has never been recovered.

Lee will be sentenced on Oct. 21.

The remaining defendants have pleaded not guilty. That group includes Nicholas Prugo, another alleged mastermind of the burglaries, who has argued for leniency because he spoke to detectives and got some of the stars' property returned.

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'Jeopardy!' burglary suspect pleads not guilty (AP)

SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco woman charged with breaking into the hotel room of "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek has pleaded not guilty to felony charges of burglary and possession of stolen property.

Lucinda Moyers entered her plea Monday in San Francisco Superior Court. The judge kept the 56-year-old's bail at $625,000. She is scheduled back in court on Aug. 15 to set a preliminary hearing date.

Authorities say Moyers stole cash, a bracelet and other items from the San Francisco hotel room on July 26 where Trebek was staying with his wife, Jean. All of the items except the cash and bracelet were recovered.

Trebek says he chased Moyers out of his room at the Marriot Marquis. He ruptured his Achilles tendon and is currently on crutches.

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Halle Berry stalker charged with burglary too (AFP)

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – A man accused of stalking Halle Berry was charged Wednesday with an additional count of burglary at the Oscar-winning US actress's Hollywood home.

Richard Franco, 27, allegedly broke into a guest house at Berry's Hollywood Hills property during one of the several times he was spotted there earlier this month.

The former Bond girl said Franco had "terrorized" her over three days from July 9, before he was arrested at 11:15 pm on July 11. "She is in fear for her safety," said prosecutor Wendy Segall.

Franco pleaded not guilty to the first-degree burglary charge, which said he broke into the guest house on July 10.

On July 12, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carol Boas Goodson ordered Franco to stay 100 yards away from 44-year-old Berry and her daughter.

Franco, who is on probation for a battery offense, could be jailed for up to three years if convicted of the stalking charge, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office.

At a hearing after the alleged stalker's arrest Berry said in a statement to the court: "Richard Franco is a stranger to me and I have no desire to have any contact with him.

"He has terrorized me and my family in three consecutive incidents over the last three days. This person has jeopardized not only my own personal safety, but also the safety and well-being of my family."

Berry, famous for the "X-Men" movie and as a Bond girl in "Die Another Day," won a coveted best actress Oscar in 2002 for her turn in "Monster's Ball," the first such award to an African American actress.

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Alleged Halle Berry stalker charged with burglary (AP)

LOS ANGELES – Prosecutors have charged a man accused of stalking Halle Berry with felony burglary for being in the actress' guest house earlier this month.

Richard A. Franco pleaded not guilty to the additional charge during a court appearance Wednesday in Los Angeles. He now faces two felonies stemming from three incidents in which he was spotted on the Oscar winner's property in mid-July.

Berry has written in court filings that she is "extremely frightened" of the 27-year-old. She says he nearly gained entry into her kitchen before she was able to lock the door.

Criminal and civil judges have issued restraining orders against Franco in case he is released.

He has pleaded not guilty to stalking the actress and is due in court on Aug. 4.

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Man gets two years for Paris Hilton burglary attempt (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A man who tried to break into Paris Hilton's house while wielding two large knives was sentenced to two years in prison on Wednesday.

Nathan Lee Parada, 32, has already spent about 10 months behind bars since being arrested at the socialite's Los Angeles home last August.

Hilton posted a photo on her Twitter page of police outside her house and a man in handcuffs. She wrote, "just got woken up to a guy trying to break into my house holding 2 big knifes (sic)."

Parada was convicted of one count of attempted first-degree residential burglary in April after jurors spent less than an hour deciding his fate. He faced a three-year term. Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Michael Kellogg recommended that he receive mental health counseling while in prison.

(Reporting by Dean Goodman)

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Judge: Suspect in Lohan burglary not coerced (AP)

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, AP Entertainment Writer Anthony Mccartney, Ap Entertainment Writer – 2 hrs 12 mins ago

LOS ANGELES – A judge on Friday rejected a motion by a woman charged with burglarizing Lindsay Lohan's house that her statement to police was coerced and should be thrown out.

Howard Levy, an attorney for Diana Tamayo, has argued at several hearings that police should have given his client a Miranda warning that she had a right to remain silent, despite Levy's presence for the videotaped interview days after her arrest in October 2009.

Superior Court Judge Larry Fidler disagreed and also rejected Levy's claims that Tamayo admitted a role in the break-in at Lohan's house because she and her family were threatened with deportation.

Detectives denied the accusation and the judge said it did not seem credible, given the demeanor of Tamayo and Levy during the interview.

Tamayo, 21, is one of five people facing felony residential burglary charges for a series of burglaries at celebrities' homes, including Lohan, Paris Hilton and Orlando Bloom. The stars lost an estimated $2 million in jewelry, high-end clothes, art and other items, much of which has never been recovered.

All have pleaded not guilty and are due back in court on Aug. 5 for a pretrial hearing. An attorney for one of the group's alleged masterminds, Rachel Lee, said he would ask a judge to order a separate trial if a plea agreement couldn't be reached.

Tamayo's interview came after her then-attorney worked out a deal between police and immigration authorities to have her released. Los Angeles police officer Brett Goodkin testified at a hearing held last year that Levy had promised she would speak to detectives about the burglaries.

The officer said Tamayo reneged after being taken to a Hollywood police station, but opted to talk after Goodkin said she would be returned to an immigration lockup.

After admitting her role in the Lohan burglary, police re-booked her and she was released on bail.

Levy declined to comment on the ruling.

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